Bulletin Board Creates Controversy

Kevin Butts
Staff Writer

The new IUSB bulletin board policy, while still in its planning phase, has created a stir among both students and organizations alike. The key issues deal with what can be posted, where, and who determines what can be censored from the boards.
 
“When this policy came out, there was speculation whether it had been implemented.  It is being implemented in the fall, but it is open suggestion until fall,” said Mphatso Jumbe of the Student Government Association.
 
Though the members of the SGA made it very clear that they are not the ones implementing the policy, it was implemented elsewhere in Student Life and they are now trying to deal with it.
 
The policy was actually written by Marvin Rasch, Director of Student Life. “From my standpoint, I knew there would be some issues, mainly because it’s new and a change. I anticipated there probably would be, but I was acting on request of the institution to make a policy,” Rasch said.
 
To combat the controversy circling the new policy, the SGA held a town hall meeting on Friday, February 24 to hear from students and groups about their concerns, questions, comments on the new policy.
 
One key issue with the new policy is where the new general boards will be, and if there be just one area or a set of boards that they are going to allocate for everyone to post to.
 
“It [policy] would significantly diminish student’s ability to communication,” said student Erkki KochKetola, and “we need clarification of where the boards will be, because it will cause a lot of people to miss posting if it is in one place.”
 
Not just students are concerned about how the new policy will affect them, but members of other clubs and organizations are worried about it as well. 
 
For instance, the International Student Organization is upset that if put into effect, the policy will require them to post in English.
 
“They want us to post in English only – if we’re trying to reach a Spanish-speaking population, why would we put it in English?,” said Felix Marquez, ISO President. “It should be left to the club’s discretion what is posted.”
 
The issues with the policy come directly from the wording of the policy, and its potential violation of freedom of speech and association. The policy states, “The Director of Student Life may withhold approval from any poster in violation of this policy or deemed to be obscene, lewd, or potentially offensive to a portion of the university community.”
 
So, then, who determines what is obscene, lewd, or potentially offensive? 
 
As college students, we learn to deal with many cultures and many points of view -  some that we may agree with, while others we may not. So, should that be afforded to us as our right as citizens; to post what we choose?
 
Many believe that it should be, and seek clarification of the policy. “I think having a clear policy is important… so you know exactly what the rules are and what you can and can’t do, since we are the ones dealing with them on a daily basis,” KochKetola said.
 
While no changes have been made yet, there are meetings in the works to get some of these changes made to the policy. If you are interested in finding out more about the issues, would like to voice your opinion, or want to learn more about the policy, please speak to the SGA in SAC 202.